The Best Baby Thermometers in 2018 – Winner Reviews

We decided to test and review some of the best baby thermometers on the market. We’d like to present Metene Medical Forehead and Ear Thermometer this no-contact thermometer is perfect for children of all ages and comes with all of the features you need to make sure that your kid is well taken care of.

Bestoverallpick!

Best overall: Metene Medical Thermometer

This thermometer offers both in ear and forehead scanning for temperature. We appreciate the forehead option as it is less invasive when the ill baby is sleeping.

1. Best Overall Baby Thermometer

PREVE Non-Contact Infrared Medical Clinical Forehead Thermometer

PREVE produces this amazing non-contact thermometer, which is both accurate and has an amazing amount of features which help to push things to the next level of usefulness.

Non-touch thermometers are great for fussy babies, especially for ongoing monitoring. You’ll be able to keep things going without having to wake the baby if they do manage to get some sleep. Just make sure to wipe off any perspiration that might appear to keep things accurate.

Our favorite extra, however, is the fact that the screen changes color in order to let you know immediately with good-to-go green, cautionary yellow, or red which lets you know that things are getting serious. On top of that, it can be used in order to measure the temperature of the room and formula if you change the settings.

All of this is fitted into an excellent little ergonomic handle. Pull the trigger, aim at the forehead, and get your reading within a few seconds. It’s pretty much a wonder, especially if you’ve only ever used old-school thermometers It’s not without issues, of course, most of them come with problematic readings through improper use. Make sure you know exactly what you’re doing if you opt for this style of thermometer.

If you want the most accurate, no contact thermometer around then you should take a close look at the PREVE. It’s the best of the best as far as we’re concerned, but your tastes may vary.

Pros and Cons

Color coded for quick temperature recognition

No-contact, infrared thermometer

Takes a measurement in one minute

Silent mode for sleeping babies

No-contact thermometers aren’t idiot-proof

No aiming light

Baby Digital Thermometer-Most Accurate Baby Thermometer

Product Rating4.5 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

If you’re looking for the maximum amount of accuracy, you’re kind of out of luck with no-touch models. This thermometer is one of the old school types, with all of the inherent disadvantages, but it’s much more accurate with less inherent user error.

This one takes thirty seconds to give you a reading, meaning it’s not the easiest to use on an ill and fussy child, but it’s got a flexible tip for babies and it’ll take an accurate oral or under the arm reading on children. It’s quite possible the most accurate thermometers around, period.

It’s also waterproof throughout, meaning you can thoroughly sanitize it between uses without worrying about the electronics contained within.

It has a few extras, a Fever Alarm for particularly high temperatures and a beeper for when it starts and finishes, but it’s the core functionality that makes it great.

This was the most accurate of the baby thermometers we had our reviewers tried out, giving the most consistent readings and being remarkably versatile. Pick it up if you can handle the thirty second read time in exchange for the utmost protection for your child.

Pros and Cons

Super accurate

Flexible tip and usage

Fever Alarm and beeper notification

Rather cheap overall

30 seconds is a long time to hold a thermometer

Not as easy to use as no contact models

3. Runner Up for Best Baby Thermometer

OCCObaby Clinical Forehead Baby Thermometer

Product Rating4 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

If you’re looking for a no-contact thermometer that’s a little bit cheaper than our favorite, while boasting most of the same advantages, then the OCCObaby is the way to go.

This is a simple, no contact model. It doesn’t have colored coding or any of that mess, instead it offers only simplicity. It’ll still give you an accurate reading as long as your protocols are held properly in place however.

On top of that, you’ll also get a functional oral/rectal thermometer in the same package in case you’re wondering if your readings are coming through correctly.

While not offering all of the same features as our favorite, this is a two pack and many of our reviewers loved having the choice. Neither is as good as our first picks in this category however.

Pros and Cons

Two pack of thermometers

No-contact thermometer is among the best

Has most of the features of our favorite

Useful for homes with multiple children

Neither thermometer is as good as our first picks

No-contact thermometer has a particularly shrill noise

4. Best Infant Thermometer

Vicks Pacifier Thermometer

Product Rating4 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

Vicks produces this great little pacifier style thermometer which makes it much easier to take an infant’s temperature than with a cold metal probe like you’ll find on the usual fare. As long as your kid likes these pacifiers… you’ll be good to go.

It’s got a one piece construction which makes it very safe and it’s accurate to within 0.2°F, placing it among the most sensitive of the thermometers we took a look at.

It’s not without its issues, of course, mostly in quality control. While Vicks is usually quick to replace it, you’re not going to want to purchase it in a pinch. We didn’t see any issues with the ones we sent out, but they do occur apparently.

For infants, this might be the slickest thermometer around. It combines accuracy with ease of use, but there are some rumors of quality control issues that prevented it from placing higher.

Pros and Cons

Pacifier design makes it easy to get an oral temperature reading

Accurate to within 0.2°F

Super safe design

Great for children who use a pacifier

Quality control is rumored to be bad

Not all children liked using it

5. Best Budget Baby Thermometer

GoldWorld Digital Infrared Baby Forehead & Ear

Product Rating3.5 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

There’s really no two ways about it: the best baby thermometers are going to cost a little bit of money. This one has a fairly low price, comparable to the best oral thermometers, but it’s more than passable despite that.

The nice thing about it is that it can be used to measure both on the forehead and in the ear. You’ll want to use the latter mode for the most part, since it’s quite a bit more accurate in most cases.

It also turns red if there’s a fever present, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately the build-quality is pretty low, but that doesn’t stop us from thinking of it as the best thermometer for kids.

But if you’re on a tight budget then this might be exactly the infrared thermometer you’ve been looking for. It’s not great in construction but it’ll definitely work and it’s likely to last a couple of years.

Pros and Cons

Accurate to 0.3°F

Very portable due to small size

Easy to use on both foreheads and in ears

Fever alarm

Accuracy can be questionable at times

Low build-quality

Why Every Home Should Have a Baby Thermometer

The results are in, and we’ve found the best baby thermometers for a wide variety of different people and the whole spectrum of tiny humans. Our winners are the best around, and pretty much every home will benefit from at least one of them.

Of course, it also costs quite a bit and there’s a ton of them out there. It took us awhile to round up the winners in this case because one thing is readily apparent when you’re looking for a baby thermometer: everyone has their own version and it’s hard to tell which are really worth the cost. So let’s hop into the winner’s circles and then we’ll help you make sure that you end up with the best thermometer for your family’s children.

Baby thermometers are one of the best ways to gauge a child’s health, if you make sure that the thermometer you add to your home is able to keep an accurate temperature.

Thankfully, the old rectal thermometers are rapidly going the way of the dodo and even oral thermometers find themselves getting phased out in favor of easier to use options as time goes on. The new no-contact models are rapidly proving that it doesn’t have to be an epic pain to take your kid’s temperature.

All of that aside, though, there’s a lot to be said for making sure you have one around. The truth is that most thermometers aren’t just applicable to babies and being able to quickly and easily pick up temperature is vital for keeping track of health.

While a minor fever is just an inconvenience, a major one can be a serious problem and the difference is really only a couple of degrees.

It’s even more important when children enter the picture, since a major fever can be a killer in babies and young children and it’s important to be able to accurately monitor whether the fever is progressing or not.

How High is Too High?

It’s important to know exactly when to take your child to the doctor or ER, and it varies by age.

For babies under three months of age, you’ll want to get to the hospital if a fever hits 100.4°F. Their immune systems aren’t quite up to par yet and things can get very bad in a short amount of time.

For those from three to six months of age, you’ll need to check in with a doctor at 101°F. There’s some immune system development there but it’s definitely not fully developed yet.

Over the age of six months, anything over 103°F can be considered dangerous. This applies to adults as well.

In any case, if the doctor’s office isn’t open then you’re going to want to just head to the nearest emergency room. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

As a general rule, in adults, 104°F and higher fevers are the symptoms of a serious illness and permanent damage can occur around this temperature so it’s important to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

General measures under these temperatures that should be taken are hard to recommend for young children, but a competent pediatrician should be able to give you the information that you need.

Remember that a fever doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is ill. Instead it shows that the immune system is fighting things, core temperature is raised in order to combat infections rather than being a direct cause of pathogens.

So What Do You Need to Look For in a Baby Thermometer?

There are a few different things that you need to keep an eye out for when you’re looking to pick up a baby thermometer. The problem is that without having one in your hands it can be extremely hard to know which is worth the price.

That’s where we come in, of course, but there are still some decisions to be made for even someone who thinks they know exactly what they want.

Type

If you’re not familiar with them… infrared thermometers are probably the best choice for infants and children. They eliminate the need to get them to sit still for an oral thermometer and eliminate the awkwardness of a rectal thermometer for the truly young

The problem is that many of them are inaccurate, and even the best are going to require you to take the temperature a couple of times in order to average them out and they take a little bit more skill than other thermometer types to get an accurate reading with.

On the other hand, they also read directly off the forehead and you can even use them on sleeping infants which gives them a big advantage over the other types of thermometer as long as you’re careful about your choice.

Accuracy

Accuracy is pretty much a requirement for any baby thermometer. As we saw above, there’s a pretty fine line between “everything is fine” and “get to the doctor.”

This is actually a compound problem:

Most people use no-contact thermometers in a way that messes with their accuracy. We’ll touch on that more in a moment.

Some thermometers simply aren’t all that accurate, while 2° might not ruin a weather thermometer it can cause some real problems when you’re checking on a sick baby.

For the best accuracy with a no-contact thermometer, look for something which takes temperature from inside the ear and is approved by medical professionals.

Ergonomics

Some of the thermometers, which didn’t win, were extremely awkward to hold. Just… terrible.

We were actually surprised at just how big an issue this was, but with most of the better thermometers we tried out they end up being used frequently and a bad hand-hold isn’t inspiring.

The grips become especially important with no-contact infrared thermometers, since the best practice is to use them more than once in a short period.

Extra Features

There are a plethora of extra features which can be found on thermometers. What seems simple at first glance doesn’t always end up being that way and the little things can make a big difference.

Some of our favorites were the following:

Backlights are pretty much essential if you’re having to check your kid’s temperature through the night.

Colored backlights were hands down the favorite extra we came across. The best thermometers have three colors, allowing you to ensure that you know where your child’s temperature is at through color coding.

Many of the thermometers we looked at had a noise which played in order to let you know it had the final reading. Unfortunately, we found that it wasn’t able to be turned off with some models and it has the potential to wake children up.

Memory functions are pretty much essential for children. It saves you having to jot down notes in order to know which way the fever is moving, so you can know if your little one is getting better or worse as time goes on.

Storage pouches are great to have, just to keep everything clean and in one package.

If you’re outside of the US then you may want to look for

Ease of Use

Surprisingly, not all of these devices were simple to use at the end of the day. The crowned winners are all simple to use, but that’s simply not the case for everything on the market.

Our favorites only had one or two buttons, making them extremely simplistic in their usage no matter how tired you are or what the light levels are like in the room.

Quality Construction and Warranties

High build-quality is always desirable in anything you might be buying, and it’s important to look for in a baby thermometer as it’s often a good indicator of everything else involved with the thermometer.

Warranties are another good thing to look for. Long warranties on a pricey product show a lot of faith, but on a cheaper one it may just be a gimmick.

Proper Usage of No-Contact Thermometers

Using an infrared thermometer is a little bit more difficult than they make it seem in the ads. If you understand how they work, however, then you’ll be able to make the most of them.

Your infrared thermometer actually isn’t taking a measurement directly off the skin, but instead the air slightly above it.

This has some obvious implications if you give it some though, the biggest problem that many people run into is perspiration’s effects on air temperature. We sweat in order to cool down, since the liquid evaporating removes some thermal energy.

The implication for those using the thermometer: you need to wipe sweat and oil off the forehead before you take temperature, otherwise the surface is going to appear to be cooler than it is.

You’ll also want to make sure that you get your readings from roughly the same area. Most models will have a handy little manual which will let you know where to find them.

Wipe any sweat or oil off of your child’s forehead if you’re using it in that area.

Visually check the infrared sensor on the front of the thermometer for dust, oils, and other residue which can throw your reading off

Make sure you take more than one reading, especially if you’re reading off the forehead. No-contact thermometers have a tendency to read cool, so if even one of the readings looks to be at a high level it’s time to take action.

As a general rule, when you’re working with your kids it’s a good idea to take a reading every hour or so to note the trend of temperature.

If your gut doubts the readings, then you may want to go to the emergency room or doctor’s office anyways, especially with quite young children. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Many of our reviewers found themselves not quite trusting forehead thermometers and while nothing bad happened due to it, most insisted they’d be keeping an oral thermometer around. If everything is done properly with the no-contact thermometer then you’re going to have a temperature range deviation which can be read, and still give you a good idea of the general trend of the illness.

That said, most of the studies done with them have made many of the same errors which patients make: the easiest error to correct, and the most commonly occurring, is not wiping sweat off the brow during your readings.

Conclusion

Picking out the best baby thermometer can be problematic these days, with so many companies and products on the market you might not know just what you’re getting. Our winners are all just that: winners.

If you do decide that you need something else, then we hope that our guide has led to you to the right choice for your family.

And, of course, take caution into account no matter what you’re using. At the end of the day, however, this vital addition to your home certainly bares some extra thought that many people simply aren’t aware of. Pick the one that suits you best, and you’ll be in good hands.